As was expected, the Modi government is going to amend the Land Acquisition Act which was enacted by the UPA government last year only. The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill was made an Act after due deliberations in the Parliament and various other fora.

The
new Act provides at least some safeguards to the land
owners/communities and takes care of environment related issues to
some extent. The number of amendments proposed by the Rural
Development Ministry, if accepted, could dilute the new Land
Acquisition Act in more than one ways in the favour of the private
sector. The government plans the amendments so that corporate houses
can acquire farmers' lands easily at a low price with the help of
coercive power of the State.

In
Focus

One
can argue that if the tenets of Free Market Economy are to be
faithfully followed, entrepreneurs should purchase land for their
industrial ventures in open market by paying the market price. The
corporate houses, however, want unfettered scope for fixing prices of
their products or in hiring and firing labour, they ask for use of
coercive power of the State while acquiring natural resources such as
land, forests, water, minerals etc. free or at nominal price.

They
feel that, being industrialists, they are obliging the whole society
and hence ask for all such concessions as their right. Such double
standards are an in-built part of selfish and profit-mongering class
of Businessmen. They don't care for any ethical norm of social
behavior.

The
point involved is not only protecting the farmers' means of
livelihood, but of planning for egalitarian and optimal use of
limited natural resource like land. Agriculture is as necessary as
industry for meeting basic needs of the people. Supply of land cannot
be augmented. So, the lands under cultivation, as far as possible,
must not be taken over for other purposes.

Fortunately,
in our country, about fifteen per cent of surface land is such that
it cannot be used for cultivation but can be utilized to locate
industries or other similar projects. Of course, they are far away
from the urban centers enjoying various infrastructure facilities. An
entrepreneur will have to put in special efforts for erecting such
facilities there. The State may extend some help for establishing
industrial projects in such areas. But it should not deprive the
farmers of their means of livelihood, as also to protect the basic
resource for production of food. An enterpriser can very well afford
to spend a few more rupees for creating infrastructure facilities.

The
Socialist Party (India) has been asking for formulation of a
comprehensive 'Land Use Policy' so that best possible use of this
rare natural resource can be made for the benefit of whole society
and also for the future generations. The Socialist Party strongly
opposes the proposed amendments in the Land Acquisition Act. The
party appeals to the farmers' unions to come forward in order to
abort this anti-farmer move of the government.

(Dr.
Prem Singh is General Secretary/Spokesperson for the Socialist Party,
India)

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